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Columbia Gas announces SCO suppliers, rate for 2013-2014

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbia Gas of Ohio said today that six suppliers will serve the company’s Standard Choice Offer (SCO) customers from April 2013 through March 2014.

The SCO is the price charged to Columbia customers who have not selected a natural gas supplier through the company’s Customer CHOICEsm program.

Effective with the April billing cycle, SCO customers will see the name of one of six SCO suppliers – Constellation Energy Gas Choice, DTE Energy Trading, Hess Corporation, Interstate Gas Supply, TERM Power & Gas, or Volunteer Energy Services – on their bills.

These suppliers were selected at Columbia’s second annual retail gas supply auction on Feb. 26. The auction also set the Retail Price Adjustment (RPA) at $1.29 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf), or $0.129 per hundred cubic feet (Ccf), which is added to a monthly market settlement price to determine the SCO. The Retail Price Adjustment represents the supplier’s non-gas costs of doing business.

The April SCO price, effective from April 1 through April 29, will be about 53 cents per Ccf. This is based on the April settlement price of $0.3976 per Ccf, plus the Retail Price Adjustment.

Based on this price, the typical residential customer using 83 Ccf of natural gas would see a total April bill of $73.25. The total bill includes Columbia Gas delivery charges and taxes.

Columbia’s SCO price is adjusted each month to reflect the natural gas market price on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). Monthly SCO price information is available at the company’s web site at How The SCO Price Is Determined.

SCO customers may see a new supplier name on their bills each April, following the annual auction. Customers do not have to take any action as a result of this change. All SCO suppliers charge the same regulated price for natural gas. CHOICE® customers aren’t affected.

CHOICE® customers may choose to return to Columbia’s SCO rate at any time, but should review their supplier contract for any cancellation fees. SCO customers have the option to switch to a CHOICE® supplier at any time, without penalty.

Columbia has produced an educational video about its SCO program. The video is available at SCO Video.

About Columbia Gas of Ohio

Columbia Gas of Ohio safely delivers clean and efficient natural gas to approximately 1.4 million customers in 61 of Ohio’s 88 counties. With headquarters in Columbus, it is one of the seven energy distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) and is the largest natural gas utility in the state. NiSource companies deliver energy to approximately 3.8 million customers located within the high-demand energy corridor stretching from the Gulf Coast through the Midwest to New England.

Be sure to call 811 at least two business days before you dig. For information about natural gas safety and what to do if you suspect a gas leak, go to: SafeGasOhio.org.